Colon and Panama City high temperature and rainfall in March.

Panama weather in March is both hot and dry. It’s one reason why this Central American country is a popular cruise destination during that time of year.

Panama has three major vacation destinations: the Colón cruise port on the Caribbean coast, the Bocas del Toro resort destination on the Caribbean coast and the Panama City cruise port on the Pacific coast.

Colón and Panama City in March

Colón and Panama City share similar weather because they are only 46 miles away from each other despite being on different coasts.

They are both hotter and drier than Bocas del Toro, which lies farther north on the Caribbean coast.

The average high temperature in March for Colón and Panama City is 91 degrees Fahrenheit or about 33 Celsius, according to the Meteorological and Hydrological Institute of Panama, the country’s meteorological service. These daytime temperatures make them two of the hotter destinations in the Caribbean and Pacific region during March. By comparison, most destinations average in the low to mid 80s Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature in March for Colón and Panama City is 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18 Celsius. The nighttime lows are cooler than the average for most Caribbean destinations. They make seawater chilly for swimming, especially in the mornings, although neither destination is known for beaches. Hot daytime temperatures make swimming more likely in the afternoons.

So both destinations are better during March for land activities such as visiting the Panama Canal and Lake Gaston.

March is part of the dry season for this area, which averages less than one inch of rain during the month. The month also has an average of only one day with rain. It is one of the driest areas among vacation destinations along the Central American coast.

Bocas del Toro in March

The island and hotel destination of Bocas del Toro on the northern Caribbean coast of Panama has an average high temperature of 88 degrees Fahrenheit or 31 Celsius during March, according to the Meteorological and Hydrological Institute of Panama. The average low is 69 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 Celsius.

The temperatures are cool enough at night that they bring down water temperatures during the day, especially in the mornings.

Bocas del Toro is more of a beach destination than either Colon or Panama City.

But Bocas del Toro is wetter during the month, although it has lower than average rainfall. The average total rainfall is three inches. It rains 15 days historically during the month.

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